Jan 15, 2009 2:46 pm US/Eastern
Everything You Wanted To Know About Road Salt...
But Were Afraid To Ask
CHELSEA (WBZ) ―
With sub-zero wind chills and single digit temperatures, the ice on local roads won't be melting anytime soon.
So cities and towns need lots of road salt.
Watch: Why Use Salt On Icy Roads?
A ship from Mexico docked in Chelsea Thursday morning with 30,000 tons of salt on board - all for Massachusetts roads.
"We plan on getting a ship in every week, probably until the end of March," said Paul Lamb of Eastern Salt. Their trucks deliver salt to 150 communities in the state.
With more than double the normal amount of snowfall this winter, cities and towns are using more road salt than usual - and the demand is depleting budgets.
In Hingham, they're not treating secondary roads so they can save their supply.
Lamb says most towns carry enough salt for just one or two storms - already not enough for this winter.
Have you ever wondered where the salt comes from?
Watch: Everything You Wanted To Know About Road Salt…
It's taken from the ocean off of the coast of Mexico.
It takes three years from the point it is harvested there to end up on Massachusetts streets.
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